Traditional Resume Templates for 2024

A resume template is a preformatted document that you can tailor according to your professional experience and background. These templates come in various designs.

A traditional resume template is one of the most common resume template styles. They are traditional because they apply a clean and standard resume layout. It is also conservative with its color scheme and fonts

Traditional resume templates outline your professional experiences, educational history, and skill sets in a simple and structured way.

You can use a traditional resume template to create your document in three easy steps.

• 1Simply choose a template from our library of professional designs.
• 2Add your information by following the automated prompts.
• 3Review, save and download.

Resume templates are a great way to create your own job-winning resume in minutes!

Your traditional resume should follow a basic format. It begins with a header where you will write your name, title and contact details.

Then, you will continue on to your work history to provide relevant information about your professional experience, duties and responsibilities in your previous roles.

Finally, you will list your top six to eight skills and add any supplementary information like certifications or licenses you’ve obtained.

Traditional resume templates are the best option for executive positions or jobs in traditional fields such as accounting, finance and law.

These templates are designed to ensure that your credentials stand out. They are consice, well organized, clean and easy to read. Traditional resume templates are refined and classy.

First off, it’s essential to clarify what we’re discussing when we say a “type” of resume. By “type,” we’re referring to a resume design style.

That is sometimes confused with a resume format, which is also important, but more concerned with the way your resume is organized rather than aesthetics and design elements. Resume designs and formats seem similar but are indeed different!

The quintessential designs are basic, professional, modern and creative.

Basic and professional resumes are both more or less traditional resumes with varying degrees of decorative elements. Basic resumes tend to be stripped-down of the two; professional resumes have a bit more pizazz.

Maybe. It depends on the type of job that you’re applying to.

A traditional resume is a safe approach and probably wouldn’t seem too out of place to use for most jobs.

A traditional resume design is clear, clean and emphasizes you, the job hunter

They are tested and work well for most professional jobs. We discussed on this page who should choose a traditional resume in a little more detail.

That said, they’re not appropriate for all jobs. The exception to using a traditional resume depends on the industry or company you’re applying to.

Don’t use a traditional resume if the job you’re applying to is creative or, for instance, you’re applying to a tech company that values “outside the box” thinking. In these cases, it might hurt you to use a traditional resume because that’s not what the employer wants in a job candidate.

You should always take a targeted approach for a resume. The “traditional” way of producing a resume here refers to a one-size-fits-all approach.

That means, traditionally, people used to produce one resume that summed up their experience and used that same generic resume for every job that they applied to.

Never do this!

Instead, a targeted resume approach means that you tailor your resume to the job you’re applying for and only send that unique resume to that specific job. This is the way you should do it! This is the expectation employers and recruiters have.

Every job requires slightly different skills, strengths or approaches. Using a generic resume won’t make you seem like a strong candidate. At best, it makes you seem like a middle-of-the-road one.

So, if you want to stand out, target your resume. To do this, identify some of the key skills that an employer discusses in the job description or post. Try to echo back some of those key phrases that you possess on your document.

This may serve you in several ways:

1. By speaking directly to an employer's needs
2. By giving you an advantage over all the candidates who didn’t take this crucial step
3. By helping you pass an applicant tracking system (ATS) if the company uses them.

Using a blanket-approach resume will never give you an advantage. So always use a targeted resume!

You can keep a general resume, but always tweak it. It should be customized to the job every time you send your resume out.

Nontraditional resumes tend to be resumes that use atypical design schemes, bold colors, and other unique design elements –– they’re sometimes referred to as creative resumes.

While these resumes tend to be exciting and attention-grabbing, they’re not ideal for all roles.

You should only really use a nontraditional resume if the role requires you to be creative or if the company you’re applying to has a brand identity centered around being different, nonconventional, or “outside-the-box.”

They can be a great type of resume to show your eye for design or make a distinct, lasting impression.

However, nontraditional resumes may be considered unprofessional, inappropriate and distracting for many jobs. Consider the nature of the job and the company culture before you commit to using one.

Yes! Always include a cover letter with a traditional resume.

The only exception would be if it were explicitly instructed not to send a cover letter.

A cover letter provides you more room to discuss why you’re the right person for the job, and you will be at a disadvantage not to include one.

Check out our how-to-write a cover letter guide if you need help getting started!